Loss and regain of love
by laurana117
Summary: Neji Hyuuga is dead. Tenten has sworn to live the rest of her life alone and never love again. One man will change her decision. NejiTen and SasuTen.
1. Chapter 1

Sasuten 1

A/N- Neji Hyuuga is dead. I am in shock. So I decided to write this. This has probably been done before, but I need to write this. If there is a story frighteningly similar to this, tell me. But I swear, everything I am about to write is from my own head. I'm going to draw from my own experiences to write this. I have never had a loved one die, but I have been abandoned by someone I love, and I have been bitterly disappointed by an ex-boyfriend. I am no stranger to suffering. I am no stranger to sorrow. I am no stranger to depression. I am no stranger to having questions that will never ever be answered.

Chapter One. Why did you leave me?

Tenten did not cry when she was told about Neji's death. She collapsed onto Rock Lee's shoulder and did not move for several minutes. Her heart shattered in that one instance, and didn't ever go back together.

Tears rolled down Tenten's face now.

It had been four months since that fateful day when she had been told about Neji's death. Sixteen long weeks had passed.

Everyone said it would stop hurting. Everyone told Tenten that things would start looking up eventually. Everyone promised that she would get over his death soon enough.

But she hadn't.

Tenten still sat in front of Neji's grave with tears falling down her face four months later.

She knew that she would be alone in the cemetery. It was prime dinner time in Konoha and everyone was at home with a loving family eating.

Tenten didn't have a family. She had no one to come home to. So she might as well visit her deceased teammate.

Neji had been the closest thing to family Tenten had ever had. He'd loved her faithfully right up to his death. They'd planned to marry after the war. Well the war was over, and Tenten was all alone.

She had lost her appetite since his death. She barely ate one square meal a day. She didn't want to eat. For it reminded her of the times she had cooked for Neji when he was alive.

He used to show up at her window wondering what Chinese dish she would cook them for dinner. He had always hated the cafeteria like feel of the Hyuuga dining room. So he would sneak off to Tenten's apartment most nights for dinner.

Tenten cried even harder at the memory. Now she couldn't bear to eat dinner alone in that cursed apartment.

Then he would stay after dinner and they would either kiss on the couch or watch one of their favorite shows. He had only spent the night a handful of times.

Tenten unbuttoned her crimson Chinese style shirt. Then she removed the right sleeve. Her smooth skin waited for her.

Tenten took a kunai out and sliced into her arm. She only cut slightly into the skin, but blood flowed from the self-inflicted wound.

She wanted to feel some pain; to be sure she was alive. Because she felt so dead.

She hastily re-fastened her shirt. Then her gaze landed on the grave stone and she continued to cry.

Neji had always prided himself with being invincible. He had the impenetrable defense. But he had died.

If he could die so easily, what hope did Tenten have? A normal Chinese girl with no bloodline limit. Or even a traceable bloodline for that matter!

Hinata was also suffering from Neji's death, but mostly because she now had to lead the clan. With Neji gone Hinata was the heir.

Tenten cried even harder. How could he have decided to throw his life away? Why did he have to? Why did the only person to love her have to be ripped away?

Sakura Haruno had parents, and a man that loved her that she loved back. Her important person, (Naruto) hadn't been ripped away like Neji.

In fact, Neji had died to protect Naruto. Tenten had tried to hate the blonde hyperactive ninja with all her heart but she just lacked the ability.

Naruto had apologized to Tenten after Neji passed. He had said that he was the sorriest person to live. He had begged Tenten to look into her heart and find a way to forgive him.

Tenten had forgiven him. Only because he was so genuine about his apology. And she didn't want anyone to unnecessarily suffer. She could bear Neji's death on her own, and didn't want anyone else miserable.

Tenten looked down at the gravestone. "Why did you have to go?" She asked the air. "Didn't you know how miserable I would be? Do you know that I miss you every day?"

The only thing that responded was the cool night wind. She was utterly alone and would most likely stay that way.

Tenten gave herself a few more minutes of grieving before she stood up and dried her tears. The stars were already out and she should get home.

Instead she looked up at the stars and wondered where Neji's soul was. She hoped he had found his father Hizashi and they were happily reunited at last.

Like father like son, she thought sadly. Old Hizashi had died saving someone else just as Neji had.

The stars glittered beautifully above her. She had been told stories of each one being a ninja who died valiantly. She knew that if that were true than Neji would be above her. His soul deserved the most beautiful paradise.

She pulled his ninja headband from her pocket. It had been given to her from Hinata. The Hyuuga heiress had known of her cousin's relationship with the weapon mistress and could think of no one better to give the band to.

Tenten pressed the cool metal of the band against her lips and whispered, "I love you, Neji." into the wind.

Then she pocketed the band and began the lonely trek to her home.

She was alone again, as she always had been.

A/N- Sasuke will be in the next chapter. I just wanted to write about Tenten's sorrow. I wanted to devote an entire chapter to it. Don't worry; this whole story won't be about loss and sadness. Only most of it will be like this.


	2. Chapter 2

Sasuten 2.

Chapter 2. Concerns.

Tenten walked alone through the streets of Konoha. Everywhere she seemed to notice that she was the only unhappy person.

Unhappy was an understatement. She had been positively numb lately. Her eighteenth birthday had passed and she hadn't noticed until Rock Lee had said something about it.

She had been too busy drowning in her own sorrow. Five months had passed since her dear teammate's death. She still noticed that all her so called 'friends' walked on eggshells around her. But it made sense, she wasn't herself anymore. She was a wondering wraith, only a fraction of the person she had used to be.

Her hair was loosely tied at the nape of her neck; she couldn't stand her customary buns anymore. They reminded her of Neji too much. He'd always loved when she wore her hair like that.

Tenten was walking to visit the hokage. She was going to ask for the most dangerous mission available.

Tenten was not after glory. She was after a suicide mission. She had lost the will to live and decided to die. But a small portion of her old self would not allow her to commit her own death, so she was searching for someone else to do the deed. She figured that it was the only way to continue; the only way for her to be reunited with Neji.

Tsunade was sitting behind a great stack of papers. She looked up and smiled at Tenten.

"It's good to see you. It's been a while, Tenten." Tsunade said. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

Tenten looked impassive. "I came to request an S-ranked suicide mission." She said simply. "I think you know why."

Tsunade frowned. "Could it be because of your deceased teammate?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes." Tenten said.

Tsunade covered her eyes and sighed. "I knew you would be coming to ask for one. Kurenai did as well, after Asuma's death." Tsunade said. "But I told her the same thing I'm going to tell you."

"And what would that be?" Tenten asked.

"Look at yourself. Go on, take a good look. You're skin and bones. There are large dark circles under your eyes. Your arms are like sticks under those sleeves. You're in no condition to be on an S-ranked mission, or any kind of mission for the matter." Tsunade said. "I would happily send you on a mission, but you need to have at least a chance at success. And right now, you do not. I would feel terribly guilty at sending you on a death mission, when you are already at death's door." Tsunade stated. "I'll keep paying you, because I know how the grieving process sucks. But I will not be sending you on any missions until you are well."

Tenten turned away. She tried to hold back the tears. "Then I shall get healthy again." Tenten said. "Because I cannot live without him."

"You remind me of myself." Tsunade said thoughtfully. "I was very much like you once Jiraiya died. I promise, it will get better."

Tenten shook her head and left the office. Tears were already running down her face.

What Tenten didn't know was that Sasuke Uchiha had listened to the whole interaction.

**Sasuke POV**

Sasuke was returning from a rather rigorous mission with Shikamaru. He wasn't allowed to go on missions alone, as he used to be a traitor. But all had been forgiven, and he was able to have a sort of normal life again.

Although he didn't know how normal his life could be with his best friend engaged to the woman who had always loved him.

Yes, Sasuke was happy for Naruto and Sakura, but it was rather strange. And part of him wondered if Sakura was secretly trying to make the last Uchiha jealous. But Sasuke had never loved Sakura, and now never would.

Sasuke's heart went out to the woman who had always loved Naruto. Hinata Hyuuga, she would be hurting the most at this engagement.

Shikamaru handed Sasuke the mission report. The lazy genius had a smile on his face, "Could you deliver this? I want to go see Ino first." Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah." Sasuke said. He took the scroll and went to Tsunade's office.

When he showed up he heard Tsunade talking to someone. He patiently waited outside but he could hear the whole conversation.

"To what do I owe honor of this visit?" Tsunade was asking.

"I came to request an S-ranked suicide mission." A female voice said. "I think you know why."

Sasuke frowned. No one ever requested suicide missions, they were a curse. Who was this woman, asking to die?

"I knew you would be coming to ask for one. Kurenai did as well, after Asuma's death." Tsunade said. "But I told her the same thing I'm going to tell you." Tsunade said.

"And what would that be?" The woman asked.

"Look at yourself. Go on, take a good look. You're skin and bones. There are large dark circles under your eyes. Your arms are like sticks under those sleeves. You're in no condition to be on an S-ranked mission, or any kind of mission for the matter." Tsunade said. "I would happily send you on a mission, but you need to have at least a chance at success. And right now, you do not. I would feel terribly guilty at sending you on a death mission, when you are already at death's door." Tsunade stated. "I'll keep paying you, because I know how the grieving process sucks. But I will not be sending you on any missions until you are well."

Sasuke listened patiently to everything Tsunade said. Then he walked away from the office. He didn't want to hear anymore. This must be Hinata Hyuuga, she was suicidal after Naruto had proposed to Sakura. He wanted to give the heiress some privacy.

After more time had passed the woman left Tsunade's office. Sasuke was shocked to see who it was.

It was not Hinata Hyuuga, as he had thought.

It was Tenten, the sole female on team Gai. The Chinese girl who had always been obsessed with weapons.

Why was she in such a state? Why would she not want to live anymore? Sasuke wondered. He hid in a shadow and watched her pass by. Tears were falling from her eyes. And indeed, her eyes were surrounded by dark circles. She looked like death itself.

What is wrong with me? Sasuke wondered. How could this person be suffering all alone, while I have been living a perfect life? Why does someone as good as her have to suffer so? And Sasuke knew she had always been a good person. He had never heard of any scandal involving her.

Sasuke watched her form retreat. He would have to find out why she was in such a state.

**Tenten POV**

Tenten collapsed in a random alley she found. Tears fell from her eyes and dotted the ground. She held her head in hey hands and sobbed.

Everything Tsunade had said was true. She hadn't had a good night's sleep in several months. She hadn't been eating more than one meal per day.

She was wasting away, she'd known it all along, but hadn't even thought that other people could notice.

Now she was stuck with nothing to do, no teammate, no sparring partner, and no missions for a while.

Tenten looked up into the sky and wondered why all these bad things had to happen to her.

**Sasuke POV**

Sasuke sat at the Ichiraku counter with Naruto. The blonde ninja was gulping down copious amounts of ramen, but he was nervous about his future with Sakura, so Sasuke made no comment.

"What do you know about Tenten?" Sasuke asked after much silence.

Naruto froze, he had one spoonful of ramen poised to pass through his lips. "Why do _you _want to know?" Naruto asked turning to look at his raven haired friend.

Sasuke frowned. "I overheard her talking to Tsunade. And she sounded rather upset. I was wondering if you could tell me why." Sasuke said.

"It's her teammate, Neji Hyuuga." Naruto said. The blonde's mood had instantly darkened and he pushed the ramen away. "He sacrificed his life so that I could live on."

Sasuke looked at Naruto. "Was she in a relationship with the Hyuuga?" Sasuke asked.

"Hinata said that Neji had been planning to propose to Tenten after the war." Naruto said. "Neji loved her more than anything."

"I never knew any of that." Sasuke said.

"You were with Orochimaru." Naruto said. "Now every day I am filled with guilt when I see her."

Sasuke stood up. He laid some money on the counter. "Sorry, but I have to go." Sasuke said. "This money should cover the bill."

Sasuke left Naruto alone in Ichirakus. He just had to get out of there, because he couldn't stop thinking about Tenten. For someone he had never spoken to he felt an immense connection.

**Tenten POV**

Tenten sat alone on a park bench. She was staring gloomily at the park before her. There were no children playing because night had fallen. She couldn't go home because it was too painful. How could she return when she was forever reminded of Neji there?

Tenten looked up, once again at the stars. She seemed to be doing this a lot lately. Her brown orbs scanned the heavens; looking for a sign that all would soon be better.

Tenten heard the crunching of feet and turned to defend herself from an attacker. Only bad people would wander a park at night.

Shockingly, the Uchiha avenger stood before Tenten in all his masculine glory. _Why is he here?_ Tenten wondered.

She had never really known much about Sasuke Uchiha, but from the little she did know, he was not to be trusted. He had betrayed the village. Before that he had been the biggest brat in her graduating class. Why, because of him Neji had been hurt! After all, it had been on the Sasuke retrieval mission that Neji had sustained almost life threatening injuries.

"What are you doing here, Sasuke Uchiha?" Tenten asked.

Sasuke didn't speak, but he walked over and sat next to her on the bench. "I saw a lone female figure in the park." He said. "I just wanted to make sure no one attacked you. There are bad men out at this time of night." Sasuke's voice was deep.

Tenten noticed that he had matured rather nicely physically since the last time she had seen him. He was taller than her and very muscular.

"That was very thoughtful of you." Tenten said coldly. "Very different than the brat I remember."

Sasuke frowned t her. "I don't think I was ever a brat." He said.

"You were, and then my teammate Rock Lee flattened you. I remember because the look on your face was simply hilarious." Tenten said.

Sasuke changed the subject. "Why are you out here?" He asked. "Why aren't you in your home?" He asked.

This time Tenten's face changed. She looked up into the stars again. "I don't spend much time there these days." She said. "It is too painful."

Sasuke's eyes remained on her face as she looked up. "Naruto told me what happened." Sasuke said. "I am very sorry for your loss."

Tenten turned her head to look at the Uchiha. "Everyone has told me that already. Why did you wait until now? His funeral was months ago."

"I have only been in Konoha for two months now." Sasuke said. "I was unable to attend his funeral."

Tenten shook her head. "Did you really come out to this park because you saw a lone figure, or did you want to gloat about how your team is full?" Tenten asked.

Sasuke glared at her. "I wouldn't do that to you. You have loyally served Konoha all your life. I know; I had a glimpse of your file. You have been one of the most devoted ninjas. You didn't deserve this tragedy. No one deserves a happy life more than you. At least, that is my opinion." Sasuke said.

Tenten didn't believe him. "Thank you for your kind words. It was nice speaking with you, I'm going to head home now." She said as she stood up.

Sasuke stood too. "May I walk you? It is dangerous at night." He asked.

Tenten simply looked at him. "All right. You may, but only tonight."

* * *

A/N- Is Sasuke in character? I have no clue. But I hope you like the story.


	3. Chapter 3

SasuTen III.

A/N- Thanks for all the encouraging reviews! It seems that most everyone that reads this thinks that Sasuke is in character. That is great to hear, but I'm afraid that in this chapter Sasuke is going OOC. It's sad I know. But I really thought about it, and Tenten has been extremely OOC and no one seems to care about that, so I figured that since Sasuke is falling in love, he'll just be out of character anyway. And I also had many reviewers say that they like my Sasuke and to keep him that way. So I will.

* * *

Chapter three. Budding friendship.

Tenten didn't think too much on Sasuke's little interruption in her life. She had learned that people could come and go at any moment, and he would probably never speak to her again.

A day had already passed and he had not been anywhere near her. Not that she would know, she'd been watching Ino's apartment for her. Ino had to go out on a mission with Shikamaru and they needed Tenten to watch their cat for them.

Tenten had slept on their couch over the night. It had been very peaceful, she definitely preferred sleeping somewhere that wasn't her house.

Tenten also really liked the cat. Ino's cat was named Stefan, and it had sat with Tenten the entire time she had stayed in Ino's apartment. It felt slightly less lonely with the cat here. Stefan was the sweetest animal Tenten had ever known. He would nuzzle underneath her hand and ask to be petted.

Tenten was sad when Ino and Shikamaru came back. The weapon master bid farewell to the cat and left. She did not want to return to her empty life.

**Sasuke POV**

Sasuke couldn't stop thinking about Tenten. Somehow she seemed so different from every woman he had ever met. She was almost like a man in some aspects, but such a feminine person in other aspects.

Her hair, it was so beautiful, but she kept it tied at the base of her neck like a man would. She was very much like a Japanese man with no care for his hair in that way.

However, the way she was handling the passing of her teammate was so much like a real woman would. Sasuke knew that if he or Naruto died Sakura would not be this affected. Sakura was just stronger than Tenten in emotional standards.

But Sasuke liked that. He liked Tenten's utter disregard for her physical appearance, and he was almost jealous of how emotionally connected to Neji Hyuuga Tenten had been.

If Sasuke remembered correctly, no one had been able to achieve that kind of emotional relationship with the departed prodigy, not even his cousin Hinata.

Sasuke had been on a mission the day after he first spoke to Tenten, or else he would have gone to find her again. But he was in Konoha now, and would be looking for her, but he had been called urgently by Naruto to visit him.

The two men met at their training ground. "What is it?" Sasuke asked once he arrived.

"It's Hinata." Naruto said his voice tinged with panic. "I heard that she's upset about me marrying Sakura!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Didn't she tell you that she loved you?"

"She only said it in the heat of battle! I didn't think she meant it." Naruto said. "Besides, Kiba likes her! I couldn't make a move on the girl Kiba likes. And I also like Sakura."

Sasuke shook his head. "You should tell Hinata that you only view her as a friend. That way everything is cleared up." He said. "And when is your wedding to Sakura?"

"In May next year." Naruto said.

"Will you both be eighteen by then?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes we will." Naruto said.

Sasuke nodded. "That's good." He tried to appear slightly concerned with his best friend's life, but all he could think about was the fact that if Neji had lived, the big wedding would have been Neji and Tenten's, and not Sakura and Naruto's.

Sasuke planned to leave and find Tenten then, but he was called by the ANBU to sit in one of their meetings. He was being considered for a possible ANBU member, and had to attend these long meetings.

So he sat through three hours of reports from various other nations on threats against Konoha. He paid attention, but was always slightly distracted.

The meeting finished and as Sasuke was leaving to look for the Chinese girl when some students from the academy stopped him. "Excuse us sir," The boy and girl who must have been around ten years old said, "We know you're the famous Sasuke Uchiha and we were wondering if you could show us how to jump from tree to tree?"

Sasuke mentally groaned. He would never find her at this rate. Normally he wouldn't stop to teach young children, but the boy was Chinese, and he had brown hair and brown eyes and reminded Sasuke of Tenten.

So he taught them how to jump from tree to tree. It really was the duty of their teacher to help them, but Sasuke found it was not terrible showing them himself.

Once he had finished it was time for dinner and Choji and Shikamaru pulled Sasuke into a barbecue restaurant and force fed him pork.

Sasuke would normally appreciate such nice companionship, after all he had been a traitor, and it was nice to know he was so easily forgiven, but he really wanted to find Tenten now.

Shikamaru and Choji both chatted about Shikamaru's relationship with Ino, and Sasuke was forced to listen.

"When are you going to propose?" Choji asked.

"Not for a long time." Shikamaru said. "We only just started dating, and I know that it will take a while for me to completely settle down."

"Naruto is marrying Sakura so that no one else can have her." Sasuke said, "His only competition is Rock Lee though." _Especially now that I have found Tenten, _Sasuke mentally added.

"Everyone thought that when you came back you'd instantly hook up with Sakura." Choji said. "I think even Sakura herself thought that."

"I never cared for her as more than a teammate." Sasuke admitted. "I'm very glad that she is with Naruto."

The men concluded their dinner and they all left to go their separate ways. Sasuke wasn't heckled by anyone else. But it was really late at night by now.

Sasuke wondered if she would be in that park again. So he ran along rooftops to the park so as not to attract anyone else to hinder him.

He scanned through the park and didn't see anyone.

Then his eyes landed on a lone figure sitting on a bench.

**Tenten POV**

Tenten didn't know why she had returned to the park again. Maybe she just liked reliving old memories of a childhood long past, or maybe she liked hiding in a place where none of her friends would find her. She hated their continual looks of pity.

But Tenten really liked the stars. They were the only real source of light in her life. And as winter would soon be in Konoha, they were easier to see. They were unchanging, they could not die and leave her all alone.

Tenten heard the footsteps and looked up on instinct. Sure enough, Sasuke Uchiha stood beside her bench once again.

"Do you come here every night?" Sasuke asked as he sat down beside her.

"I do most nights." Tenten said. "Why do you care?" She asked.

"Because you are out at night all alone; I know that you're a capable ninja, but you really shouldn't be out at this hour." Sasuke said.

"I know you're a very capable ninja, so why are you out here?" Tenten mocked his question.

Sasuke grinned slightly at her. Then he abruptly changed the subject. "Have you eaten today?" He asked.

"No, but when I go home I will, I've just been so busy-" Tenten said.

Sasuke stood up and gently pulled her wrist. "I don't believe you. Come with me, I know a really great crepe place. Everyone loves crepes, and everyone loves this place." He said.

Tenten had no choice but to follow him. "What in the world is a crepe?" She asked as they walked along the deserted city streets.

"Do you eat only Chinese food?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes! I eat some Japanese food, but I really prefer to eat food of my heritage." Tenten said.

Sasuke scoffed at her. "Crepes are a French delicacy that you have obviously been deprived of." He said.

Sasuke led Tenten through the city streets, not letting go of her wrist. He led her to a tiny street she had never been on. She saw a small stall where a vendor would sell something and she wondered what they sold; but they were closed for the night. Eventually they arrived to a little little restaurant nestled between an old library and a Laundromat.

The sign said, 'French cuisine in Japan!' and it had a whimsical picture of a smiling pastry next to the words.

"Is it still open at this hour?" Tenten asked.

"It's open late into the night and early in the morning. Crepes are in the highest demand then." Sasuke said.

He ushered her into the door and she looked around the tiny restaurant. There were little tables scattered around. Each little table had a candle burning on it. There were paintings on the wall of what Tenten assumed were French architecture.

A hostess greeted Sasuke very personally. "Hello Uchiha-san, come back for more crepes with your lady friend?" She asked sweetly.

"Yes I have. She's never had a crepe before." Sasuke said.

The hostess looked at Tenten and smiled encouragingly, "No wonder she looks so sad, she hasn't had her life altered by Louis's cooking. I assure you ma'am, you will be forever changed."

Tenten was not looking to be 'forever changed'. Nor was she sad because of a lack of French food. She was sad because of her dead teammate that she loved more than anything, she was about to say so when Sasuke spoke.

"We'd like to sit in my usual place." Sasuke said.

They were led to one of the little tables near a fake window that was painted onto the wall.

"We'd like two orders of crepes." Sasuke said to the hostess. She nodded and left.

Tenten continued to look at the restaurant. There was another couple on the other side; they weren't even looking at Tenten or Sasuke. They were too busy looking at each other longingly.

"Do you come here a lot?" Tenten asked as she tried not to look jealously at the happy couple. "That hostess seemed to really know you."

"Shino actually introduced me to it, and I love it." Sasuke said. "I never see any annoying people here. I think that's why Shino showed me this place. He could tell that I was growing tired of women chasing me around, so he brought me here and I found a special sanctuary." Sasuke said.

Tenten nodded. "I can understand that." She said. "Since so many girls swoon over you."

Sasuke would normally glare at her for silently insulting him like that, but he caught sight of the waitress carrying a tray with two orders of crepes their way.

Tenten looked at the plate of food and tried to hide her repulsion. It looked like a tortilla, (yes she had experienced Mexican food) that was filled with various fruits and covered in crème. What was so special about this?

"Would you stop staring at it and try it?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

Tenten blushed lightly at being chastised, and reluctantly stabbed into the crepe. She took a hesitant bite and fell in love with French cuisine.

It was fruity, hence the fruit inside, and sweet because of some special syrup from within the crepe, and the crème inside added a sweet touch. _This is magnificent! _Tenten thought. Then she remembered that Sasuke had been watching her, she looked up and caught him smirking.

"You like it." Sasuke said. "I _knew _you would."

"I do." Tenten admitted.

Tenten looked up at Sasuke and expected to hear him tease her; instead he smiled genuinely at her. Something weird happened in Tenten's stomach. It fluttered, _am I nervous? _Tenten wondered.

The Uchiha's smile was contagious and Tenten found herself smiling back. _When was the last time I smiled? _Tenten wondered. She honestly could not remember the last time she had smiled like this.

_What is going on with me? _Tenten asked herself.

* * *

A/N- Thanks for reading! I can't say when the next part will be out, because I actually had this chapter written when I last posted, and I do not have chapter four written yet. But it will be soon I promise! The idea for crepes came from a personal experience in my life if you were wondering.


	4. Chapter 4

Sasuten IV

A/N- I've been doing my Sasuke research, I wanted you guys to know that I am learning more about him. My main source of Intel is YouTube videos. I find that you can actually learn a lot about characters that way.

* * *

Chapter 4. Reaction.

_Sasuke Uchiha is actually a nice person._

This thought rang through Tenten's head as she stepped out of a shower. It was a late evening and she had just gotten home from her outing with Sasuke.

She hadn't known what to expect when the Uchiha had practically dragged her to that tacky little French restaurant. She certainly didn't expect to be wowed over the exquisite French cuisine. She also hadn't expected Sasuke to behave so maturely. He had been very kind and very accommodating.

She lay down in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She was greeted by the blankness of the ceiling.

This was one of the hardest parts for Tenten to adapt to. Being alone at night.

All her life she had been so cursedly alone. She hadn't realized how much she hated it at first, but after she had a team she started to see that the other ninja's had families to go home to at night. And all she came home to was an empty apartment.

Everything changed when Neji came into her life. And once they found that they loved each other. Everything became better in her life.

A tear slipped out of Tenten's eye and she reached up to wipe it away. Her heart ached in the moment of solitude, and her eyes burned as more tears threatened to fall.

_I've always despised girls that cry._

Tenten thought that and turned her thoughts to herself. How often had she been crying recently? More than she would care to admit. But she had no one to talk to. No one could possibly understand the pain she was going through.

_I've always been alone, why does this hurt so much?_

How ironic that the Hyuuga prodigy had always boasted that no one loved him, his clan betrayed him, his uncle murdered his father. But here Tenten was, crying every day over the loss of him. Someone did love him, and would always love him.

_I hate being alone._

**Sasuke POV**

"Hey Sasuke! Wake up! Gosh, what time did you go to sleep?"

Sasuke opened his tired eyes to look at his teammate Naruto. The blond was staring at Sasuke and trying to get him to focus. Naruto was waving his arms and yelling. Sasuke found it quite annoying.

_I was out too late last night with Tenten._

Sasuke thought. He waited for the irritation to surface. Usually whenever his training time was hampered because of someone else he would grow increasingly irritated with them. Training to make himself more powerful had always been one of his top priorities. His main goal had been to grow strong enough to beat Itachi for so long, but now he wished to grow stronger so that he could make Itachi proud by changing his life.

Sasuke felt no irritation at Tenten though. After all, he was the one who insisted that she eat with him. And that seemed fine to him, he did have a good time with her. He found that he rather enjoyed the time spent with her.

"Sasuke! Sasuke!" Naruto was yelling. "Earth to Teme! What is wrong with you? You're so out of it."

"Hn." Sasuke said.

"Wow. Ignore me. Okay, I see how it is. Why don't you just go be alone in your house if you're going to have such an attitude. You can go brood, since you're so good at it." Naruto said.

"Can I?" Sasuke asked. "I'm really tired. And I have to be rested in case Tsunade sends me out on a mission."

"Fine. But we are training tomorrow." Naruto said. "I'll go see what Sakura is doing. I bet she wants to go out for lunch."

Sasuke watched Naruto go. He was slightly envious of his teammate's optimistic attitude. But Sasuke did not want to spend any more time with Sakura than he had to.

_If Naruto is going to see Sakura, then I should go can go see Tenten again._

Sasuke froze at this thought. _Do I like spending time with her? _He mentally asked himself. He searched through his thoughts and feelings. No answer arrived to him.

Sasuke decided not to dwell on the matter. He shook his head and started walking toward Tenten's favorite park.

**Tenten POV**

Tenten stood in her tiny bathroom. She was looking at her reflection in the mirror.

_I do look horrible._ She thought.

There were large bags under her eyes. Her hair hung limply down her back, and her skin was unusually pale for someone of Chinese descent.

She took her shirt off to inspect how thin she had become. It wasn't anything catastrophic, she just had an unusually flat abdomen which was never a bad thing.

Her eyes fell upon the scab forming on her left bicep. The cut she had inflicted more than a month ago was almost healed. It was a pale pink line with a thin groove of scab running through it.

_I've felt so numb for so long, I wonder…._

Tenten picked up a kunai from the counter. She raised it above the scar, and dug it into the flesh.

Blood ran from the newly inflicted wound. But she continued to slide it through the pre-existing cut.

The end result was a pale pink almost scar, and a new bloody wound crossing through it. It was in the shape of a side-ways cross. The new wound was just a little larger than the older wound.

Tenten felt the pain tingling slightly. But it wasn't enough to cause her to cry out or anything.

She bandaged the wound, put clothes on and left.

Tenten didn't want to be at her home any longer than she had to.

**At Team Gai's Training Ground **

Tenten stood in the field that she had always trained with Neji in. She hadn't been here in months. It was just too painful.

Tsunade had denied her request for a suicide mission because of the shape she was in. So in order to go on a mission again she would have to get back in prime ninja shape.

Tenten set up a target a few feet away from her and got into the stance to throw a kunai. It was the kunai she had cut herself with and there was still a bit of dried blood on it. Her eyes narrowed at the filthy object, and she hurled it at the target.

Bulls-eye.

Her accuracy was still exactly the same.

Tenten sat down and looked at her feet. The only thing she could practice individually was accuracy. And her accuracy was still perfect.

Tenten remembered why she didn't train anymore. She didn't have a training partner anymore. He was gone.

Tenten cradled her head in her hands. Images of the countless hours spent with Neji training flashed through her mind. Those days were so perfect, and she missed them enormously.

"Did you hurt yourself?" A voice asked.

Tenten's eyes opened. The voice was deep and male, very similar to Neji's. Was she hearing things?

"Tenten?" The voice asked.

Tenten looked up and saw Sasuke Uchiha. He was crouching in front of her. His black eyes roved over her, he must be searching for injuries. Their eyes met and a weird sensation settled in Tenten's stomach.

"I'm fine." Tenten said as she swallowed nervously.

"Were you training?" Sasuke asked as he eyed the target and kunai embedded in it.

"Yeah. But I've reached a block. I can't do it on my own." Tenten said.

"I can train with you." Sasuke offered. "I'll go really easy on you."

Tenten sighed, then she glared at Sasuke. "Are you offering to go easy on me because I'm a woman?" She asked with intensity.

Sasuke visibly paled. "No. It's just that we've never trained together before, and I expect you to easy on me as well." He offered. "I would never insult you by judging you on your gender."

Tenten smiled a little. "Well then, we should just practice basics. If I don't like it, then we'll never practice together again." She said.

Sasuke helped her get up. Then they took their separate stances and began practicing basic taijutsu with each other.

* * *

**(A/N- I am not going into the training scene in detail because I feel that it would be boring to write. And if I think something is boring to write, then I know it will be boring to read. So I'm only being considerate. ;)**

* * *

**After Training**

Tenten and Sasuke each sat against a tree together. They were both very tired from staying out the night before, and the training session they had just had.

Sasuke had to admit that Tenten had gotten better at taijutsu since the days of the chunin exam. They'd also gone on to sword fight, and she had taught him several new moves.

Tenten knew that Sasuke had been holding himself back. He was just so obviously more powerful than her, but that didn't seem to bother her. Neji had also been more powerful than her, but she was better at things that he could never succeed at. She figured that would hold true for Sasuke as well.

Tenten had liked training with him though. He had really helped her get just a little bit better. And in the long run, that would be the most helpful to her.

"Thanks for helping me Sasuke." Tenten said. "We should do that again sometime. I need to get back into proper ninja fitness and you've really helped."

Sasuke smirked. "Well if you're trying to get fit then you should also be eating three square meals a day." He said.

Tenten frowned. Did he know about her eating habits? No way, he couldn't. "I eat all the time." Tenten defended herself.

"Oh? Well then I don't suppose you'd like to eat with me then." Sasuke said.

Tenten paled. "Like, at another restaurant? Because I didn't bring any money."

Sasuke stood up and held his hand out to her to help her get up. "I'll pick up the tab like I did last night." He said.

Tenten thought about it. It would be nice to go out to eat instead of sitting alone in her apartment without eating. "Okay Sasuke, let's get some lunch." She said as she accepted his hand and he pulled her up.

"It's definitely dinner time." Sasuke said. "Not lunch time."

Tenten looked up at the sky, sure enough the sun was setting. Could they still go to a restaurant if they were fresh out of training?

"Where will we go?" Tenten asked Sasuke.

"I figured you would want Chinese." Sasuke said.

Tenten couldn't help but smile, and Sasuke noticed. "I love Chinese food." Tenten said without thinking.

Sasuke led Tenten to a take-out Chinese place. "We can get our food and eat somewhere else." Sasuke whispered. "I don't want anyone staring at us because of how bad we look."

Tenten laughed. "You mean how bad I look. You still look fine." She teased.

It's true, Tenten thought as Sasuke went inside to order. He still looked like the good-looking Uchiha he was, even after training in Taijutsu for hours. Neji had been the same way, and Tenten had always been a little jealous. She was the woman, she was supposed to be the pretty one.

Sasuke came back with a bag. "Let's go eat at your favorite park." He said.

**At the Park**

Tenten and Sasuke sat on the slab of concrete that the children would use to play basketball. There were no children though, because all of them were at home eating dinner.

Tenten sometimes wished that there would be a dinner waiting at home for her at the end of the day. But right now she had the Uchiha with her, and she liked it.

Tenten began digging into the Chinese food and ate with a rare appetite. Sasuke tried some of it, and found it incredibly spicy.

"Thank you so much Sasuke!" Tenten said after she swallowed a mouthful of Chinese food. "I really needed this."

Sasuke couldn't help staring at her bright smile. She looked so much prettier when she smiled.

"It's nothing." Sasuke said after a few minutes.

They were each about to say something to the other when they heard a voice.

"TENTEN-CHAN, WHATEVER ARE YOU DOING WITH THE YOUTHFUL UCHIHA?" Rock Lee yelled as he ran up to them.

Sasuke frowned. This was the insane guy that had beaten him in a fight years ago.

Tenten blushed for some reason. "Sasuke was helping me train today, and he and I got food afterward." Tenten answered.

Rock Lee looked right at Sasuke. "Thank you for helping my teammate, Sasuke Uchiha." He yelled.

"Hn." Sasuke said. He was uncomfortable with the spandex clad man around.

"Lee, I think me and Sasuke are finished with our food now." Tenten said. "We're both very tired and need to get some rest now." Tenten said as she stood up.

"Oh! I see." Rock Lee said. "Well then, I will look forward to the company of the two of you tomorrow!" Lee yelled and he ran off.

Sasuke stood up and looked right at Tenten. "Don't stay out here all night." Sasuke said with a smirk.

Tenten smiled. "I won't." She promised. "Will you train with me tomorrow?"

"I look forward to it." Sasuke said.

* * *

A/N- I know Sasuke was completely out of character, so please don't yell at me for that. But I still hoped that you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review if you did.

And if any of you were wondering why Sasuke keeps feeding Tenten, I heard this saying recently that love is food. And I completely agree. So that's why.

I hope you're all having a wonderful day!


	5. Chapter 5

SasuTen 5.

A/N- I love writing SasuTen. I did not think that I would love writing it as much as I do, and I am pleasantly surprised. I've also received wonderful support from all my reviewers, and I'd like to send you all a mass thank you right now. I tend to respond to reviewers in pms, so if you're a guest or have your pm blocked, I'm sorry. But I still extend the greatest thanks to you! You all are the best.

Disclaimer- Naruto is not mine.

Warnings- There is alcohol consumption in this chapter, and I want to say that I do not support underage drinking. So don't do it. Your liver will thank you later.

* * *

Chapter 5. Lithium.

A week passed in much the same way. Sasuke and Tenten would train together during the day and then go to some restaurant at night to eat. Tenten slowly became better acquainted with the Uchiha.

It was a Wednesday and Tenten and Sasuke were sitting together against the tree. They both selected the same tree to sit against after their first training session, and it had become a habit to sit against it. Sasuke had his eyes closed, but Tenten's remained open as she looked up at the sky.

"Hey Sasuke." Tenten said.

"Hn? "Sasuke asked.

There it was. The 'hn' sound. Tenten thought that she would loathe the sound coming from anyone other than her Neji, but she actually liked hearing it again.

"I'm tired of eating at restaurants. How about we eat at my house?" Tenten suggested. "And I'm a little short on cash."

Sasuke looked over at Tenten. "I don't want anything spicy." He said with a smirk. Sasuke was trying to play it cool, but he was really excited about Tenten cooking for him. Many girls had offered to do the same thing in the past, and all had been rejected. But Sasuke couldn't bring himself to reject Tenten in the same manner.

"Well then how about you help cook if you don't like my cooking." Tenten said with a fake pouty look. "Or can you even cook, you being an Uchiha and all."

Sasuke smirked wider. "I can cook. I've lived on my own for years now. And I'll show you tonight." He said. Sasuke knew that Tenten loved challenges, and frankly he did too. "Let's go get some supplies at the store and then we'll sample each other's cooking."

"I bet mine will be better." Tenten said.

They walked side by side through the streets of Konoha. Tenten was still getting used to the stares. She had guessed that staring would happen if she began spending time with the Uchiha. He had been a traitor for years. It was only natural not to trust him. But he had earned Tenten's trust, and that was all that mattered to her.

Luckily, none of their ninja friends had really noticed the time they spent together. Neither of them would know what to say in that situation.

Tenten led the way back to her apartment after they had made their purchases. Sasuke's eyes roved around the tiny street. She lived pretty far away from him, but that was to be expected. She lived in an apartment complex and he lived in a mansion.

Her apartment was perfectly sized for her. It had one bedroom, and Sasuke noticed that the door was shut, and he guessed that the bathroom was back there as well. The door opened to a little living room and kitchen, both were part of the same room.

Sasuke's eyes landed on the pink apron Tenten was handing him. "Why?" He asked as he held it far away from him.

"You don't want your fancy Uchiha style shirt to get dirty do you?" Tenten asked. "If I had clothes with my clan symbol on them I would keep them spotless. That is, if I had a clan in the first place."

Sasuke sighed. "Fine, but you have to wear one too." He said.

Tenten put a plain white on one over her white and maroon Chinese outfit. They both got to work cooking. Tenten was not used to maneuvering around her little kitchen with someone else present. Sasuke was also much taller and had much wider shoulders than her.

When they were finished they set their dishes next to each other on Tenten's tiny dining table. Tenten frowned. Sasuke had made some sort of grilled fish, and it looked exquisite. Sasuke however, was eying Tenten's dish with fear, for he'd seen her using peppers.

Sasuke looked down into Tenten's eyes as she said, "Well, let's eat."

Tenten took half of Sasuke's fish and half of her dish and sat in a chair. Sasuke took the rest and sat across from her.

"You go first." Tenten said with a grin. She had simply made fried rice, and used mile peppers. But she wanted Sasuke to think it would be super spicy just to see his reaction when it wasn't.

Sasuke sighed and took a spoonful of the rice. It wasn't spicy. It was seasoned beautifully, and didn't even need soy sauce. It was perfect. "It's good." Sasuke said. "Now try mine."

Sasuke had simply made grilled fish with lemon. He knew it was a simpler dish, but he preferred simplicity sometimes.

Tenten took a bite of it. It was perfect. She had thought that she would hate it, because of the lack of spices, but it was pure perfection. She looked up to see the Uchiha's reaction, and he was smirking again.

"Okay, I like it." Tenten admitted.

"Good." Sasuke said. "So I suppose it is okay to say that we both won our little challenge."

"I guess so." Tenten said. "What should we do tomorrow after training?"

"Oh, about that. I actually have a mission tomorrow, it's a short one. Only some reconnaissance work. I should be back late on Friday." Sasuke said. "Will you be attending Naruto and Sakura's engagement party?"

"I heard a little about it, but I wasn't necessarily planning on it. Will you be there?" Tenten said.

"I have to attend. Since it is my teammates, I hope I can meet you there." Sasuke said.

"Okay then. I'll go." Tenten said. "I haven't been to a party in months."

When the meal was over Sasuke helped Tenten wash the dishes and then he bid his farewell.

**The Next Day**

Tenten threw some kunai at various targets in her training ground. It was a cloudy day, and rain threatened to fall at any moment. Tenten picked up her kunai and sealed them back into the scroll she carried on her back. She didn't want her metal weapons to be damaged by rain.

Tenten left the training ground; since Sasuke was gone she really couldn't train.

_Sasuke._

Tenten's heart did this weird constriction dance in her chest when she thought of the Uchiha. It had been doing that a lot recently, but today there was worry clenched in her heart as well.

_Am I worried about Sasuke?_

That seemed to be the case. She was worried that Sasuke might be hurt on his mission.

_That's preposterous. He spent years away from the village battling the most powerful scum, how can a simple reconnaissance mission cause him harm?_

Yet Tenten was still worried. She'd gotten closer to the Uchiha during the past few days, and she didn't want any harm to befall him.

"Tenten!" A voice called.

Tenten turned to see Sakura walking down the street. The pink haired medic looked like she was positively glowing.

"Hello Sakura." Tenten said.

"Hey Tenten! I haven't seen you in forever. How have you been?" Sakura asked politely.

Tenten caught sight of the glittery diamond on Sakura's ring finger. Tenten's heart constricted painfully in jealousy when she saw it.

_I wanted an engagement ring from Neji._

"I've been alright." Tenten said vaguely. "I heard about your engagement. Congratulations."

"Oh, thank you! It was such a surprise to me. We're having a party tomorrow night to celebrate, and I'd like you to be there. It'll be wonderful to see all our friends and make the announcement at once." Sakura said. "It'll be at my house. Can you make it?"

"Yes I believe I can." Tenten said with a fake smile.

**With Sasuke **

Sasuke perched in a tree about a hundred miles away from Konoha. He was on the border of the Rain. There had been reports of some rogue ninjas hiding out around this area, and Sasuke had been sent to check it out.

_I wonder what Tenten's doing._

Sasuke shook his head after that thought. How strange, why was he thinking of Tenten right now? He was on an important mission, and didn't need to think about her.

But he was worried that she might cut herself trying to train. Or that she might not be eating again.

Sasuke took the binoculars back to his eyes and scanned the area. He could think about Tenten later, right now he had to look for rogue ninjas.

**The Next Day**

Tenten stood in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom. She was trying to decide what to wear to Naruto and Sakura's party.

Tenten hadn't seen Sasuke in two days, and was excited to see him tonight for some reason. But she also hadn't been to a single party since Neji's death, and wanted to look nice.

_Neji…_

Tenten looked into the mirror. Her hair hung down her back, kind of like Neji's when he let his down.

_I miss you._

Tenten watched as a crystal tear dripped down from her left eye and onto the carpet below her. The loss of Neji still hurt her daily, but it had gotten a little better with Sasuke around.

Tenten shook her head. Tonight would not be about mourning the dead, tonight would be about celebrating the living and the miracle of love.

She stepped away from the mirror and looked in her closet for something to wear.

After half an hour, Tenten selected a long sleeved purple dress, and she tied a white belt around the middle. She then picked black flats and a thin cardigan. The end effect was lovely, but she didn't know what to do with her hair.

Tenten decided to lightly curl the ends of her hair. It didn't look too over the top, but it was a lovely touch.

When Tenten arrived at the party, it was already in full swing. People were milling about and laughing. Her eyes darted around for Sasuke, but she didn't see him. He said he would show up later, so it might still be a little bit before he showed up.

Tenten spotted Naruto and Sakura in conversation with Hinata. She stepped over to them and they smiled when they saw her.

"You look lovely Tenten-chan." Hinata said in her usual quiet voice.

"Yes you do!" Sakura said. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"We were just discussing Neji, and how we all wished that he could be here on this momentous occasion." Naruto said.

Tenten choked back tears. "Yes, I know exactly how you all feel. But I know that he would be here if he could." She managed to say.

Sakura laughs, "Well, let's not dwell on sad things of the past! I see Temari over there, I think I'll say hello!"

"I think I'll go get a drink." Tenten said as she stepped away.

_So much for celebrating life. _Tenten thought sadly.

Tenten sat down on a chair away from the other part goers. She looked out the window sadly and thought of her old teammate.

"Hey Tenten!" An excited voice said.

Tenten turned to see Hinata's teammate Kiba holding two glasses of soda.

"You look pretty serious, you know what you need? A soda!" Kiba said.

Tenten took one of the glasses. "Thanks Kiba." She said.

"It's nothing." Kiba said. "So what do you think of this party?" He asked.

Tenten took a sip of the soda. It tasted strange. "I think it is a lovely party. I am so happy for them." Tenten took another sip.

"I think so too. It's a little over the top though." Kiba said with a shrug.

Tenten finished the glass and felt the strange urge to giggle.

"Oh! You finished, I'll get you another!" Kiba said with a smile. He left and brought another two glasses.

Tenten drank half the cup in one swig and looked at Kiba with a giggle. "Where's your puppy?" She laughed.

Kiba smiled too. Akamaru is back at home." He said. "He doesn't care for big social events."

Tenten felt funny. She felt like laughing and dancing. She didn't feel like crying over Neji, for once. "Neither do I." Tenten said to Kiba. "But I'm being a good girl."

Kiba laughed. "That's good to hear! I'm so happy that you came. Because my teammate wants to see you happy. And if my teammate is happy, then I'm happy." Kiba said.

"Hinata is lucky to have you." Tenten said with a wide smile. She drank the rest of the soda and laughed happily with Kiba.

Tenten looked up when she saw Sasuke standing above Kiba. For some reason the Uchiha looked furious. Sasuke was glaring at Kiba.

"Don't you have a Hyuuga heiress to be courting?" Sasuke said coldly.

Kiba paled. "You're right!" He said and then he dashed off.

Tenten watched as Sasuke took the vacant seat next to her. He looked beyond mad and was glaring at nothing.

"How was your mission?" Tenten asked. She was looking at him through a fog, and it was weird.

"It was fine. The reports were obviously false."

Tenten giggled as she sat next to the Uchiha.

**Sasuke POV**

_Just my luck. I come back and find her drunk. That stupid Inuzuka must have spiked her drink._

Sasuke sighed and looked at Tenten. At least she was a happy drunk. She was muttering some nonsense a she sat next to him.

Tenten couldn't be left alone like this. She was obviously new to drinking, and needed to be taken home.

Sasuke stood up. "Let's go Tenten." Sasuke said.

"Where are we going?" Tenten asked.

"I'm going to take you home." Sasuke said. "You're drunk."

"Drunk? How could that happen? I only drank soda!" Tenten said. However, she did stand up and allow Sasuke to lead her away. "Do you think I look nice?" She asked.

Sasuke looked down at her outfit. "You look very nice." He said.

Shikamaru waved at Sasuke. "Hey buddy. How's it going?"

Sasuke tried to act like having a drunk Tenten holding onto his arm was normal. "I'm doing great. How about you? How is Yamanaka-san?" Sasuke asked to be polite.

"I'm doing wonderful thanks for asking." Ino said from behind Shikamaru. "Oh! Tenten, how are you Love?"

"I'm great!" Tenten said with a bright smile.

Shikamaru was leaning casually against a counter. "You know, Kiba didn't know he was giving her spiked soda. Kakashi brought it for the adults, and Kiba thought it was just regular soda."

Sasuke felt himself relax. He wasn't so mad at the Inuzuka anymore. "That's good to hear." Sasuke said honestly. "If you could excuse us, I'm just going to escort Tenten to her home."

Ino smiled at her dear friend. "I hope she's happy." She said. "Good night, Uchiha-san!"

Sasuke left the party then. He'd already told Naruto and Sakura congratulations, so now he could leave.

Sasuke's dark eyes darted down to Tenten where she was lazily walking next to him. Her eyes were drooping. Sasuke rolled his eyes. This must be the first time she'd ever drank alcohol.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Sasuke asked.

"No! I can walk on my own." Tenten said. But she soon sagged against Sasuke.

Sasuke lifted Tenten into his arms and sped off toward her house. When he arrived on her porch he found that her front door was locked.

He looked down at Tenten in his arms. Her key must be somewhere on her person. But she was sort of asleep, and Sasuke felt that if he searched her right now it would be a sort of sexual harassment. So he hoisted her up further into his arms and sped off toward his house.

* * *

A/N- I just want to say here, that I have only drunk alcohol once. And it was much in the same situation as Tenten, someone spiked my drink. But they were very aware of their actions, unlike poor Kiba. But, I want to say here, that none of you should partake in underage drinking! And if some random person gives you a drink at a party, SAY NO! You have no idea what is in that drink, so don't drink it! Thankfully, my brother was at the party to help me out, so nothing happened to me.

Ha-ha, there's my health advice for today.

So this update came a lot earlier than planned, but that's just because I've had pink eye since Sunday and haven't been able to attend school. So I decided to write more. I hope you enjoyed it, and please review if you get a chance. I hope you're having a wonderful day!


	6. Chapter 6

Sasuten VI

A/N- I feel much more confident now. After hours of research, I feel that I now have a good grasp of Sasuke's character. And I'm sorry about the late update; I've just had a bunch of make-up work to do at school because of my absences.

Please enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer- Naruto is not mine.

* * *

Chapter Six. Revelations.

Tenten woke up in a strange bed.

The sheets where white and crisp. Like she was the first person to ever sleep in them. And for another thing, everything was silent.

Usually in the mornings she could hear the kids in her apartment building playing outside. Or even the gossiping old women who lived across the hall. Instead she heard nothing.

Not even the chirping of birds. So she knew this wasn't Neji's house, because he loved to keep birdseed on his windowsill for the creatures. And they had often been perched upon Neji's windowsill shirping away.

_Of course this isn't Neji's house Tenten! Neji's been dead for half a year!_

Tenten sat up and looked around the room. It was definitely a traditional style Japanese bedroom. With tatami mats and everything. How strange, because her apartment was totally Americanized with green carpet and plentiful closet space.

A window even revealed a small lake. Was she in some strange dream where her apartment had gone Japanese on her? Because that was the only logical explanation.

Then Tenten saw that she was still in the dress that she had worn the night before. Oh god! What had happened?

She racked her brain for what was going on. She remembered Naruto's party, and talking to Hinata and Sakura. Then it was all a blur. Had she been kidnapped?

Then she looked up at the doorway and saw Sasuke Uchiha standing there.

Tenten screamed.

Sasuke immediately reached up to cover his ears. He glared at Tenten for disturbing the perfect serenity of the place.

But Tenten liked having some of the silence lifted.

"What is going on?" Tenten asked after she screamed.

Sasuke glared. But he progressed into the room and handed Tenten a glass of water and some pills.

"Here, take these." Sasuke said. "They'll help the headache."

Tenten took the glass of water, she was terribly thirsty. "I don't have a headache." She said. "Where am I?"

"You're in my house." Sasuke said. "And you got really drunk last night, so you're bound to have a hang-over."

"I don't drink!" Tenten said. Then she took a big gulp of the water. "But I am really thirsty. And how did I get in your house?" She handed him back the pills. She'd learned not to accept medicine from other people. After she's been almost poisoned to death on several undercover missions.

"I had to carry you out of the party." Sasuke said.

"Now I know that's not true. I've never gotten drunk in my life." Tenten said haughtily.

"Kiba spiked your drink." Sasuke said.

Tenten's mouth hung open. "He wouldn't do that! He's a kind person, why would he-"

"He didn't know that the adult punch had alcohol in it." Sasuke said. "He's lucky; if he'd been really trying to take advantage of you I'd have killed him."

Tenten smiled. "You're a good friend. Protecting my honor and everything. Now can I have more water?"

Sasuke grinned slightly. "Follow me."

**Sasuke POV**

_This isn't fair._

That thought rang through Sasuke's head as he led Tenten to the kitchen. How come she can handle her alcohol so expertly and he can't?

She didn't have a hangover. She'd drank quite a bit last night, and she was suffering no side-effects.

Sasuke had drunk a lot in his years away from Konoha. The alcohol had helped him forget the woes of his life. The alcohol had helped numb his memories of a happy life in Konoha and of his elder brother. But he'd had to give up the drink after suffering multiple hang-overs.

But Sasuke could not deny that she was obviously suffering a lot emotionally too.

Sasuke watched how she sat at on one of the barstools in his kitchen and happily drank from a cup of water. She looked sort of cute right now.

Sasuke shook his head to keep these thoughts from surfacing. Tenten wasn't even his teammate, she shouldn't be called cute. She was a professional ninja, and deserved Sasuke's respect.

Sasuke and Tenten shared a relatively simple breakfast. Just some egg sandwiches and lots of water for Tenten. Then she bid him farewell and went back to her apartment.

**Tenten POV**

Tenten strolled back to her house. It was a really long walk from the Uchiha compound. Sasuke had offered to walk her home after they had eaten breakfast, but Tenten was afraid if someone saw them together. She was in the same clothes as last night, and rumors had probably spread about them leaving together. She would die if rumors spread about her and Sasuke hooking up.

But Tenten couldn't help but grin when she thought of Sasuke's kindness. It was so thoughtful of him to help her home after Kiba had accidentally gotten her drunk. She never thought that the Uchiha avenger would help her out in a situation like that. It really showed his real character.

After a shower, Tenten was wringing out her black hair and sitting down on the couch in her living room. It felt strange sitting in her apartment after being in the Uchiha compound. She could hear the couple next door to her bickering about something. Compared to the silence of the Uchiha compound, their bickering was totally maddening.

Tenten smiled sadly. When she and Neji had been together there had been no arguing among them. They would always sit and talk through their issues, and then they would be solved. And then Tenten and Neji would kiss furiously.

Tenten smiled as she remembered those days. Neji Hyuuga may be dead, but he would never be far from memory.

**A Few Days Later**

Tenten was leaning against a tree. She and Sasuke had just completed a rather vigorous spar. He'd used some gen-jutsu on her, but she had been able to easily break it.

Sasuke sat a few feet away from Tenten with his eyes closed.

Tenten admired how the sun reflected off his black hair, it was very pretty. Then his voice interrupted her musings.

"I noticed that you have bags under your eyes." Sasuke said. "Are you not getting enough sleep?"

Tenten unconsciously reached up to touch the soft tissue under her eyes. It was a little more swollen, but then again she hadn't really been sleeping all that well.

Tenten tried to laugh it off to Sasuke. "It's really nothing; ninja's don't really need sleep anyway." She said.

Now Sasuke looked interested. "Ninjas need a lot of sleep. To be able to keep up with all our physical activity, sleep is a necessity." He said.

Tenten looked away from the Uchiha avenger. "I just find it so hard to sleep alone." She murmured, thinking of Neji.

"Then I should sleep at your house." Sasuke said.

Tenten's eyes widened with shock. "Excuse me?" She said with a voice as cold as steel.

"I said that I should sleep at your house. Just so that you aren't alone." Sasuke said. "You've already slept at my house, so it's only fair if I sleep at yours."

Tenten sighed. "Fine. But my _apartment_ is a lot different from the Uchiha compound."

Sasuke smirked. "I'll be over in an hour." Then he sped out of the training area.

Tenten watched him go. _I hope he is showering._ She thought. He was really sweaty from their spar.

Tenten hurried back to her apartment and began cleaning. She showered, picked up all her dirty clothes, washed the few dishes that were dirty and then surveyed the tiny rooms for any mess.

It was perfect.

**Later**

"I don't know why I agreed to this…" Tenten muttered as she let Sasuke in. He had a bag and had freshly showered.

"Maybe I want to see if it's true." Tenten said to herself.

"Did you have someone to sleep with before?" Sasuke asked as he set his bag down on the couch.

"I did." Tenten said.

Tenten watched as a long forgotten emotion passed over Sasuke's eyes. She knew that she had seen the emotion before, but she couldn't pinpoint it.

But Tenten had other things to worry about.

The couple that lived next door had come home mid fight. Sasuke turned slowly toward the wall and stared at it in wonder. The two people were angrily yelling at each other.

"I can hear every word!" Sasuke exclaimed quietly.

Tenten smiled with embarrassment. "Yeah, I did warn you that my apartment was different from the Uchiha compound."

Sasuke shook his head. "This is deplorable. Have you thought of hitting the wall with a broom? Maybe they'll get the message and be quiet."

Tenten laughed. "It works both ways, Sasuke. I accept them on their loud days, and they accept me on my loud days." She smiled. "And they can probably hear everything we're saying."

"It's been a while since I've been to an apartment building." Sasuke murmured. "But even when I lived in one, there wasn't this much of a privacy problem."

"Try not to act so snobby. It's very unbecoming. Anyway, I spent all afternoon cleaning, and I'm hungry. Let's have some dinner." Tenten said.

Sasuke stepped into the kitchen and set a parcel down. Evidently he'd been hiding it in his bag. "I brought you dumplings." He said.

Tenten couldn't help suppressing the smile, but then it was followed with a frown. "How did you know I liked dumplings?"

"You wouldn't stop mentioning them when you were drunk." Sasuke said.

Tenten smiled as she rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, I did? Wow that is so embarrassing!" She said. Then she scarfed down the Chinese delicacy.

**Later**

Tenten dreaded this moment.

It was time to go to sleep.

Sasuke was waiting at the doorway of her bedroom. He had a smirk on his face. Tenten wanted to die.

Plus the couple next door seemed to have solved their issues and was now moaning nonstop.

"You can sleep in my bed. I'll just take the couch." Tenten said.

"I can't let you sleep on the couch in your own home." Sasuke said. "That would be quite impolite of me."

Tenten walked calmly into her bedroom. "You can sleep in the bed with me then. I hope you have no qualms." She couldn't make Sasuke sleep on the couch for much the same reason. It would be rude.

Sasuke smirked and settled himself comfortably in the covers. Her bed had soft and warm flannel sheets, they were a nice feeling compared to the cold temperatures she kept her house at.

Tenten flipped the lights off and made her way over to the bed. Her heart was beating furiously. She hadn't slept in the same bed as a man since the time of Neji's life. This felt wrong, but she couldn't deny that it was nice to know that someone else was there in the dark.

Sasuke shuffled slightly as Tenten slid into the bed beside him. He had to give himself credit. The last time he had shared a bed with a woman had involved sex. Tonight would be a nice refresher from that.

"Sasuke?" Tenten asked in the darkness.

"Hn?" Sasuke murmured.

"I've been wondering this for a while, why did you return to Konoha?" Tenten asked.

Sasuke tensed a little at the question. It brought back many uncomfortable memories.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to. It's just that Sakura had said that you were so consumed with hate, and then one day you weren't. So what happened?" Tenten asked.

Sasuke cleared his throat before answering. "It was because there was nothing left for me outside of the village. I was only avenging Itachi, but now he is gone."

"He was gone before you decided to stop."

Sasuke turned to face her. He could barely make out her form, lying on the bed facing him.

"I had a dream about him. In it he told me that he had sacrificed everything to keep the village safe, and that I had no right to destroy everything he had worked so hard for." Sasuke said seriously. "I decided to take Naruto's offer to return after that. And I've been in Konoha ever since."

Tenten didn't know how to respond to that. "I heard it was because you wanted to return to Sakura." Tenten said.

Sasuke snorted as he tried to contain his laughter. "No. I would never return solely for her. It is nice to be on my old team again, but I never could love her back. I view Sakura Haruno as the sister that I never had."

"Plus she's engaged to Naruto." Tenten added wryly.

"Yes, I could never shack up with my best friend's girl." Sasuke said. Then he abruptly switched topics. "What about you? Why are you still here?"

Tenten paled. "What do you mean? It is a ninja's duty to protect their village. I could never quit."

"I don't mean that. I mean why are you still risking your life doing it? In my eyes you've done enough. You've lost the only man you've ever loved, and you never had any other family to begin with." Sasuke said.

Tenten fidgeted with her fingers. "Neji sacrificed himself to save Naruto. It was Neji's way of making sure that the village would have a wonderful leader in the future. Neji was simply doing what was called upon him as a ninja. He has also inspired many Hyuugas to become more active in ninja dealings."

Tenten smiled then. A real genuine smile, it was a nice feeling. "I want to be like him. I want to be so dedicated to my life as ninja and to protect as many people as possible. So that maybe, after I die I'll have people at my funeral. Maybe I'll have people remember me. And maybe I can inspire other people, orphans like me to become ninjas."

"That is a very noble cause." Sasuke said. "I can't say that I would do the same in your situation."

Tenten wondered if this counted as pillow talk. Somehow it must be it, even though sex was absent, they were lying in bed discussion things that she wouldn't tell anyone else.

"I think Itachi is proud of you." Tenten whispered.

Sasuke experienced a strange sensation in his chest as she said that. "I think Neji would be proud of you too." Sasuke said.

"Thank you." Tenten said. "That means a lot."

**Later**

Sasuke woke up to a foreign feeling. He was unbearably warm. And he was more comfortable than he'd ever been.

Tenten was wrapped completely around Sasuke. Like she'd been used to sleeping this way previously.

A blush tinted Sasuke's cheeks. Tenten must not realize what she was doing. Sasuke had never experienced this before. Usually whenever he had sex with a woman, she wouldn't remain to sleep beside him. So he had actually never slept with a woman like this before.

Somehow this moment with Tenten felt more intimate.

* * *

A/N- I'm not totally pleased with this chapter… Something just feels off. But, I really liked the last part. Because I've read lots of stories on here where the girl wakes up with the guy all wrapped around her, and I just wanted to mirror that. I thought it would be funny.

Please let me know what you think. And have a spectacular day!


	7. Chapter 7

SasuTen Rev

A/N- I was originally going to write something else entirely for this chapter. But I really wasn't feeling that other thing, so this monster happened. I'm actually really proud of it, so please keep reading and review.

* * *

Chapter Seven. Will I die?

Tenten had embraced Sasuke Uchiha. Just like he were Neji Hyuuga. Tenten woke up late in the night while still holding the Uchiha. He didn't even seem to care. So much for him being the stoic freak everyone else thought that he was.

Tenten quickly retracted her limbs from him. She sat up in bed and wrapped her arms instead around herself. Her gray eyes were wide as she stared at the sliver of moonlight on the floor.

Beside her Sasuke shifted slightly in his sleep. But he did not wake.

Tenten was more ashamed of herself. How could she do this? Neji hadn't even been dead for a year, and here she was holding another man in bed. She was no better than a common whore. She just had a taste for clan prodigies it seemed.

Tenten looked at the dark haired man beside her. He was undoubtedly beautiful. He was a god, with all the Uchiha power he possessed.

And she had told him secrets about herself and Neji.

_Does Neji's death mean anything?_

Tenten held her head in her hands. How had this happened? This Uchiha was starting to become such a prevalent force in her life. What were his motives?

_Why did Sasuke let me hold him in my arms?_

Tenten leaned back and closed her eyes.

_Why is Sasuke Uchiha here?_

Tenten felt a hand on her arm. She looked to her side in shock. Sasuke was looking at her sleepily. "Go to sleep." He murmured.

Tenten looked at him very carefully. "I'm not tired."

"Neji wouldn't want you to be an insomniac." Sasuke said sleepily.

Tenten froze at Sasuke's casual mention of Neji's name. But she allowed Sasuke's pale arms to pull her down to lay beside him in bed.

This time it was Sasuke's arm draped around Tenten's waist as she fell asleep.

But dreams of Neji Hyuuga continued to plague Tenten.

As she lay in Sasuke's arms.

**The Next Day**

Tenten was casually throwing shuriken and kunai into a target one lovely afternoon. The sun was shining brightly on her black hair as it moved slowly in the slight wind. Her gray eyes focused on each target for a fraction of a second before she threw the weapon dead into the center.

Sasuke was off at some ANBU meeting. And Tenten hadn't decided if she was glad about his absence, or if she missed him.

"The Hokage-sama wishes to meet with you." A deep voice spoke from behind Tenten.

Tenten turned to see a member of the ANBU in the tree above her.

"It's urgent." He promised before disappearing into a cloud of dust.

Tenten summoned all her weapons into a scroll before setting out for Tsunade's office. What could it be? Could it be dealing with Neji? Was there more information on his death?

Tenten opened Tsunade's door with urgency. Her gray eyes were wild and her hair was as well.

Tsunade looked up from the cup of sake she was drinking. The woman gently set the cup down and regarded Tenten slowly.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please come in, let me look at you." Tsunade said.

Tenten went to stand in front of Tsunade's desk.

Tsunade's eyes roved over Tenten's form. Finally she seemed to see what she was looking for. She nodded slightly before speaking.

"You look a lot better than you did two months ago. You look well rested and healthy. Not to mention you look happy." Tsunade said. "You have done well."

"Thank you. Tsunade-sama." Tenten said.

"I hate to ask this of you. Considering what you've gone through recently, but I feel that you're the only one that I can ask to do this." Tsunade said as she looked away from Tenten.

"What is it Tsunade-sama?" Tenten asked.

"It's an assassination mission." Tsunade said and there was something in Tsunade's eyes that told Tenten to be fearful of this mission.

"I have killed many; I can handle it I assure you." Tenten said.

Tsunade leveled her brown eyes with Tenten's gray sad ones.

"The survival rate is about ten percent for you." Tsunade said. "The man you will have to kill has the odd ability to nullify all chakra use and bloodline limits."

Tenten was silent. She was waiting for some sort of emotion to touch her heart. Fear. Shock. Anger.

But there was nothing. Tenten felt nothing.

"I figured with your weapons, you could manage the assassination without the use of chakra. Am I correct in my assumption?" Tsunade asked. "In other words, do you accept the mission?"

Tenten laughed the darkest of laughs. "This is so ironic. Because this is the very same mission I wanted those months ago. Of course I accept. It will be my pleasure to use my gifts to help you and the village." Tenten said.

Tsunade still looked grave. "You will leave tomorrow morning. Everything you need to know is in this file, take it and study it. Tell no one that you're going on this mission."

Tenten nodded in silence. "I won't let you down." She said with a bow to Tsunade.

Tenten turned to leave when she felt Tsunade's hand on her shoulder.

"I am proud of you Tenten." Tsunade said.

Tenten didn't thank Tsunade. Tenten simply took her exit from the Hokage tower.

**Later **

The man's name was Itaro. The one Tenten was to kill in two days-time. Apparently this Itaro had been hiding out in the forests of the northern lands. And he was killing any ninja who passed within one hundred miles of his hideout.

He had no back story. He just simply decided to start killing one day.

Now it was Tenten's turn to kill him.

Tenten wondered maniacally who was the better killer between the two of them. Was it him, who had killed all who trespassed? Or was it her, who made her living off the deaths of countless other shinobi?

Tenten sat on the edge of her bed while holding the last picture taken of her team. Her eyes rested on each person in the picture for a few seconds. She hadn't seen her living teammates in a few weeks. But Neji visited her every night in her dreams.

Tenten ate a light dinner before she went to sleep.

The next morning she set out to kill for the first time in half a year.

**Sasuke POV**

Sasuke stood outside the door to Tenten's apartment. He had knocked three times, and yet she hadn't opened the door. There hadn't even been the slurred reply that she was tired.

Sasuke wondered if she was uncomfortable with the way he had held her the night before. He hadn't thought that much of it, considering that she had embraced him first.

"Tenten, open the door." Sasuke said for the fifth time.

There was no reply. There were no footsteps. And when Sasuke listened very closely he could hear no heartbeat.

Tenten wasn't in her apartment.

Sasuke searched his mind for the places that she could be. The park? No, she only went there at night. Training? No, Sasuke had passed by there on his way to her home and she had not been in their field. Shopping? That just seemed highly unlikely.

"What are you doing here, Sasuke?" A perky voice asked from beside Sasuke.

He turned to see Ino Yamanaka walking toward Tenten's apartment.

"I didn't think you knew Tenten. Are you friends?" Ino asked.

"We train together. Are you friends with Tenten?" Sasuke asked. "Do you know where she is?"

"She should be here. She doesn't usually like going places in the morning. She likes to sleep, or at least she did before well you know. Before Neji left." Ino said.

Sasuke glared at the still shut door. "She is not here."

Ino ignored Sasuke's statement because she was certain that Tenten was within the apartment. Ino took out a key and opened the door. When she noticed Sasuke's look of mild surprise she laughed.

"After Neji died Tenten needed to give a spare key to someone, and I said that I would take it." Ino said. "I come over about once a week to check in on her. But I've been really busy with missions for the last few weeks." Ino said.

Sasuke followed Ino into Tenten's apartment. It was as he remembered from the night he had spent there. It was just a little cleaner.

Ino walked out of Tenten's bedroom. "She's really not here. Weird. I guess you were right Sasuke. But I have no clue where she could be."

Sasuke tried to swallow the feeling of anxiety in his stomach. He instead went to the closet where she kept her weapons.

It was empty.

Ino stood beside Sasuke as they looked into the empty closet.

Ino's face paled in shock. "Did you see her training?" Ino asked.

"No." Sasuke said.

"Then she must not be in Konoha right now." Ino said.

Sasuke felt his stomach drop. He remembered something he had heard Tenten saying those few months ago in Tsunade's office.

_"I came to request an S-ranked suicide mission." A female voice said. "I think you know why."_

Sasuke felt like puking. Tenten had only used him. She had used him to get herself back into prime health so that she could die.

He felt almost as betrayed as he had when Itachi had lied to him numerous times.

Sasuke felt a hand on his arm and he looked down into Ino's light blue eyes.

"I'm just as worried as you." Ino said. "But we should talk to Tsunade first. She can tell us where Tenten is."

Sasuke felt himself nodding.

**Tsunade's Office**

Tsunade was more than surprised to see Ino Yamanaka and Sasuke Uchiha walking together into her office. It was a strange sight because Ino had once loved Sasuke, but Sasuke had always disliked the blond.

"We came to ask where Tenten is." Ino announced.

Tsunade looked at the two people. "I can only tell Tenten's family members where she is." Tsunade said.

"That is a load of crap." Ino said. "You know that Tenten has no family. So you might as well tell me. I'm one of her closest friends. And Sasuke is really worried about her."

Tsunade's brown eyes roved over to look at Sasuke. "Is that so? Interesting." Tsunade murmured as she looked at the Uchiha in awe.

"Tell us where she is." Ino demanded.

"You cannot tell anyone." Tsunade said.

"We won't." Both Sasuke and Ino said.

"I assigned her an S-rank assassination mission. She left this morning and likely won't be returning for a few days. If she returns at all." Tsunade said.

Sasuke almost sighed in relief. So Tenten hadn't requested the mission. She had almost been forced to take it due to Tsunade. But there was still heaviness in Sasuke's chest. What if she didn't return?


	8. Chapter 8

SasuTen 8.

A/N- Sorry that I was MIA for so long. I was just taking some AP Tests and finishing up this school year. I'd like to say that I won't be gone much this summer but that is honestly not the case. But I bring you this update now, please enjoy!

Note- I had a bit of a time crunch getting this chapter to you guys, it was either get it out now with possible mistakes or make you guys wait a few more weeks, so I chose te first option. I hope you can stand any errors in the writing because I could not edit. I am very sorry.

Disclaimer- Naruto is not mine.

* * *

Chapter Eight.

**Tenten POV**

Tenten perched in in the leaves of a tree. Her gray eyes were surveying the valley before her. Itaro, the ninja slayer had made his base within the valley. Tsunade wasn't able to tell Tenten where exactly, so Tenten would have to walk through it like a lamb for the slaughter.

She would have to be prepared.

Tenten smirked. How ironic, that she could die by the hands of someone so similar. After all, she was an assassin. That had been her fate ever since she had decided on weapons to be her focus.

Tenten could not decide on whether she wanted to die or to live. If she died she would meet Neji, but if she lived then she would get to see Sasuke again. Her heart was torn. What did she want?

Tenten's mind turned to a memory. It was from earlier in the day when she had been leaving for this mission. She had seen Hanabi Hyuuga, Neji's cousin.

Tenten hadn't really known Hanabi in the past, but she had seen her a few times. And each time she had seen her giggling with Konohamaru or with other kids. Hanabi had been more outgoing than her older sister and cousin by far.

But when Tenten had seen her earlier she had seen a grief-stricken child. Her white eyes seemed almost gray with sorrow. This had been very strange to see. Tenten had almost tried to comfort the child, which would have been a bad idea considering that Hanabi hated physical contact.

Tenten's back straightened. She knew what she wanted. She wanted to return to that child, and she wanted to return to Sasuke Uchiha. She wanted to finish this mission and she wanted to retain her life.

Sasuke's face passed through Tenten's mind. Her gray eyes softened a fraction. She missed him. It was decided; she enjoyed the company of the Uchiha. She wanted to see him again. If only to make him eat spicy Chinese food again. If only to hold him in bed again.

Tenten stood up and jumped down from the tree. Her hair was still in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck.

Her clothing was also more minimalistic. Since she had two swords strapped to her back and two more at her waist. Kunai were hidden on her person, and senbon were artfully hidden in her black tresses. Shuriken were hidden in her clothes, and a fuuma shuriken was strapped to her back underneath the swords. She would be unable to take weapons from her usual seals, so she had a thin scroll at the base of her back.

Tenten landed at the base of the tree. She would have to travel as if she wasn't suspecting an attack. This would be difficult because she knew that Itaro waited.

Tenten took a moment to survey the valley. She would need to know about the geography so that she could be the victor.

Tenten had been walking for twenty minutes when a voice came from above her in the trees.

"Who goes there?" A voice asked.

Tenten could only assume that it was Itaro. Because other than him this valley was uninhabited.

"I am just a humble wanderer." Tenten said. "I have to pass through these lands so that I can meet my colleagues in the next country."

The man jumped from the tree and landed a ways in front of Tenten. "I'm afraid that you cannot pass." He said. "I cannot let anyone that has been trained in the shinobi arts live."

"And why is that?" Tenten asked. Maybe she could find out some important information as to why he was doing the killings.

"My entire clan was killed before my eyes by ANBU black ops. I have no idea why or even from what village the ANBU came from. So I have decided to avenge them by killing every single shinobi that I come across." Itaro said.

Tenten tensed. This man was not so different than Sasuke, if Itachi had taken one wrong step this could be Sasuke challenging Tenten to a duel for her life. Tenten silently thanked the Uchiha genius and she vowed to visit his memorial when she returned to Konoha.

_If I return to Konoha._

Tenten shook her head as she gathered her thoughts. Pessimism had never really been her thing. It had always been Neji's forte.

"I'm sorry for your loss. But killing every shinobi that you come across is not going to bring them back." Tenten said. "Revenge is not the answer; it can lead to horrible revelations." Tenten thought once more of Sasuke and Itachi. Sasuke had only wanted revenge for the loss of his clan, but that had only led to guilt over the fat that he had killed Itachi.

"What would you know of loss?" The man asked. "You seem fairly happy yourself."

"I have lost the most important person in my life. The one I loved most was killed by a maniac." Tenten answered. "So you can't say that I don't know about loss."

Itaro smirked evilly at Tenten. "You don't look like a grief stricken woman. You don't know what true pain is. Or what true revenge is like. You'll never know. Because you're going to die here."

"I won't. Because I'm not going to die by your hands. There are people that I want to return home to, and you are in my way. So prepare for your own death." Tenten said. With each word spoken the emotion drained from her voice.

Itaro's smirk widened. "Well then. It appears that we will have to battle this out. I formally challenge you, Lonely Wanderer."

**Sasuke POV**

"Tell me about the criminal that she was sent to kill." Sasuke said from the window in Tsunade's office.

Tsunade turned from the paper work that she was doing. Her amber eyes regarded the Uchiha warily. "I cannot disclose information on an S-rank mission to anyone. Even if you were a member of Tenten's family I could not tell you."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Could you tell me if I were Neji Hyuuga?" He asked.

Tsunade frowned. "You'd be dead. But if you were alive I would tell you the details of the mission."

Sasuke leaned forward. "Then tell me. I have taken over Tenten's training in Neji's stead. I deserve to know her whereabouts."

"You snuck into my office and are demanding that I reveal important secrets about Tenten's mission. You deserve serving on gate duty with Kotestu and Izumo." Tsunade said. "But I do admire your concern. It's been years since I've seen you so worked up."

Sasuke waited for her to reveal the information that he wanted to hear.

"I sent her on an S-rank mission to eliminate a maniac in the forests of northern Snow country. Normally I wouldn't bother with this, but he is steadily killing any shinobi that passes through the area. So it would be beneficial for the leaf to assassinate this man so that our shinobi can pass freely through the lands." Tsunade said. "I sent Tenten specifically because her abilities lie mainly in the use of weapons and not ninjutsu or a bloodline-limit."

"Why would that be important?" Sasuke asked.

"Because this man has the peculiar ability to nullify chakra use and bloodline-limit abilities. If I were to send for example, Ino Yamanaka she would be butchered instantly. Tenten was the only ninja in the village that came to mind when I received the reports on this killer."

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "Her teammate Rock Lee also doesn't use chakra or ninjutsu. In fact, he doesn't use it at all whereas Tenten uses at least some chakra in her fighting style. Why not send them both?" Sasuke asked.

"Rock Lee was the ideal choice, but he is in Suna dealing with important obligations right now." Tsunade answered vaguely.

"Iruka just told me that there are no important missions in Suna at the moment." Sasuke said menacingly. "So the only thing I can assume is that Rock Lee is on a _personal_ visit to see the Kazekage. Am I correct?"

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. "Yes." She said. "Lee is visiting Gaara for _personal_ reasons. But he is officially there under orders from the Kazekage. Gaara has been ordering Lee to visit him periodically ever since Neji passed."

Sasuke looked furious. "How dare you send Tenten on a suicide mission when she has perfectly fine back-up that just so happens to be visiting a rival leader for personal reasons!" Sasuke spat. "Didn't you say only a few months ago that Tenten wasn't suited for an S-rank mission?! How could you even stand sending her on this dangerous mission?"

"I did what I thought was best for the village." Tsunade spat right back. "And you are not allowed to sneak in here and yell at me about my decisions, after all you _defected_ from this village years ago and it was _my_ good judgment of you that has allowed you to stay here at all!"

* * *

A/N- Thank you for reading! I hope that you liked this chapter. Next chapter will have the fight scene between Itaro and Tenten (God help me, because I suck at fight scenes.)

Please review and have a wonderful day! Enjoy the summer!


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